These trainings are for community groups, organizations, or anyone who has an interest in understanding and using information in order to be healthy. These trainings can also be sponsored by health care organizations who want to help improve health literacy skills for the people and communities they serve.

These trainings are designed for health care professionals and staff wanting to acquire specific skills in health literacy and health communications. Learn how to make health information easier to understand and explore evidence-based tools to improve communication and engagement.

Health literacy is about communicating health information in meaningful ways. Health literacy allows the public, and those working in all health fields, to find, understand, evaluate, communicate, and use information. Health literacy is also the use of a wide range of skills, including reading, writing, listening, speaking, numeracy, and critical analysis, as well as communication and interaction skills. These skills improve the ability of people to act on information in order to live healthier lives. (Adapted from the Calgary Charter on Health Literacy, 2008)

About These Free Trainings

Trainings are available in a number of formats, including presentations, interactive “hands-on” workshops, small classes, and discussion groups; but many trainings can use a combination of these formats. Each topic is available at two levels: beginning or advanced, as well as comprehensive trainings that cover a full topic in depth. Trainings are also available in different time lengths: 20, 40, 60 and 80 minutes, depending on the topic, audience and setting. Each training is evidenced-based, drawing on current research in health literacy and health communications, and featuring methods, tools and resources proven to be effective. Each training also includes learning objectives and pre- and post-testing for evaluation. Click here for more information...

About Doug Seubert

Doug Seubert is a health communications consultant, currently working on obtaining a dual Masters in Public Health (MPH) with an emphasis in community education and health promotion, and a Masters in Management and Organizational Behavior (MSMOB).

He served as the lead health communications consultant for one of ten physician group practice sites selected for a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) demonstration project, the first pay-for-performance initiative for physicians and the forerunner to value based purchasing, meaningful use, and accountable care. His work in patient activation was cited in the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's report to Congress on aligning incentives in Medicare, and his work in health literacy and patient engagement have been published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

As a health communications consultant he collaborates with physicians, pharmacists, nurses, health educators and other health care professionals to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and corresponding patient education resources, and he provides guidance in the application and implementation of health literacy recommendations, principles and standards. He also works with state and local literacy organizations, health care organizations, public health agencies and non-profit, community-based organizations to raise awareness of health literacy among health care professionals and other service providers, and provides training in effective health communication strategies.

He has presented on health literacy, patient activation, and health communications at national and regional conferences including the Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) Annual Health Literacy Conference, and national forums hosted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). As a member of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, the Institute for Wisconsin’s Health, and the Wisconsin Public Health Practice-Based Research Network, he participates in research in the fields of health literacy and health communications, translating evidence-based recommendations into best practices and tools to improve communication between health care professionals and health care consumers. Click here for more information...